Electrical/starting Issue

alexob53 · Nov 27, 2015

Hi everyone! My first post to the LR forums. I have a 2012 LR4 (US 5.0 petrol) which has given some trouble when starting recently. Most of the time when I try to start, it seems like it has trouble starting. The starter turns slower than usual, and takes 2-4 seconds to fire. A couple of times though, usually when starting cold, the ignition turns on normally, dash lights up, then starter clicks one loud click and stops. Then, all power turns off and the system resets (clock to 12, etc.). I tested the battery and it was good, as was the alternator. After it fails to start once, it usually starts on the second time. Any ideas of what this could be? Thanks!

Alex

Quijote · Nov 28, 2015

Well, from what you describe my guess would be the starter motor. Especially if you checked the battery. The alternator shouldn't come into play at startup.

I had my alternator die (on another car) while driving, and I was able to restart my car several times until the battery ran out.

There are other things to check, like relays and fuel supply, but you check that when the car cranks perfectly but the engine doesn't fire, or when absolutely nothing happens and the battery is good.

alexob53 · Nov 28, 2015

I thought about the battery test, and even though it may be holding a charge, it could still be having trouble supplying current. So I hooked up another car to it (VW Tiguan) via jump leads so that the Land Rover would at least have access to another battery if it needed it. Amazingly, the slow starting was gone, no electrical issues surfaced, and it started perfectly. Then I took the jump leads off, and it went back to the slow start. Definitely something wrong with the battery, so I will have the dealer replace it under warranty.

umbertob · Nov 28, 2015

Do you have a meter to test DC voltage at the battery leads just before starting the engine on a cold morning? My guess is that you will be under 12V after letting the car sit in the garage overnight, especially if it's cold. When you test a battery on the parking lot of an auto parts or repair shop, it has likely just been topped up by your alternator, so to the instruments it appears everything is fine. If it can't hold a charge though, which is often the case with aging cells, that's trickier to troubleshoot. Sounds like you are in that situation. On a 2012 with original battery, it's probably time for a new one anyway. If you're still under warranty, even better.

jaguardoc504 · Nov 30, 2015

Definitely the battery.
I had similar issues over the summer, to the point my wife was left stranded while out doing groceries. Tested the battery, and entire charging system; they tested good.
I replaced the battery, and all symptoms went away.

I have to believe that due to the all of the computers staring up as soon as you open the door the draw on the battery causes the "slow" start, and sometime no start issues. If you were to wait a few more seconds in a no start condition it would probably start because the battery has a chance to recover from supplying all the inrush current to the computers.

jamgolf · Nov 30, 2015

Over ~3.75 years of 2011 LR4 ownership we had our battery replaced twice (under warranty both times). Both times we had symptoms similar to what you've described. I ended up buying a jump start battery to keep around for the next time the darn thing needed a jump.

alexob53 · Nov 30, 2015

Thank you all for your response! I think since work is only around 10 minutes away, having it run for a good chunk of time a couple times every week would help the battery last longer. Also, leaving the car unlocked overnight can leave the system in standby mode and cause some discharging and extra wear on the battery, so I might start locking it overnight.

Surfrider77 · Nov 30, 2015

alexob53 said:
...Also, leaving the car unlocked overnight can leave the system in standby mode and cause some discharging and extra wear on the battery, so I might start locking it overnight.

There is a timer and relay that disconnects after a short period of time, regardless if you lock your truck or not.

Electrical/starting Issue

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